President Prabowo Subianto recently held a meeting with the UK Government’s International Education Champion, Professor Sir Steve Smith, in Hambalang to discuss ways to strengthen education cooperation between Indonesia and the United Kingdom. The meeting focused on deepening partnerships between universities, increasing student exchange, and boosting research collaboration.
Key Topics Discussed
The discussion centered around three main points. First, both sides talked about improving cooperation between Indonesian universities and some of the top universities in the UK. There is strong interest from several UK universities to open branch campuses in Indonesia, which could provide new opportunities for students locally.
Second, they discussed ways to increase the number of Indonesian students studying in the UK. This includes studying directly at UK universities or at future campuses opened by British universities in Indonesia.
Third, the leaders focused on encouraging research partnerships between Indonesian and British researchers and professors. One important area is collaborating on the “downstreaming” or better use of Indonesia’s 28 priority natural resources, as identified by Astacita, a national initiative.
Who Attended the Meeting?
The British delegation included Professor Sir Steve Smith, British Ambassador Dominic Jermey, and representatives from the Russell Group, which is a network of 24 top universities in the UK. Also present were Professor Helen Bailey from Queen Mary University of London, Professor Funmi Olonisakin from King’s College London, Professor Tariq Ali from the University of Liverpool, and Summer Xia, the British Council Country Director for Indonesia.
On the Indonesian side, President Prabowo was accompanied by several key officials, including Professor Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology; Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs; Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi; and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
This high-level meeting shows the commitment of both Indonesia and the UK to build stronger ties in education. By encouraging university partnerships, student exchanges, and joint research projects, the two countries aim to improve educational opportunities and support national development goals. The possibility of UK universities opening campuses in Indonesia also signals exciting growth in international education cooperation.